Pier flinched when he heard a voice telling him not to kill himself.

He turned to look at the source and saw that Asher was there staring up at him with a worried look.

"Pier- please... please don't leave," Asher said in a panicked and worried tone. Pier raised his eyebrows at the prince.

He thought he had all the time to himself now without Asher's presence.

'But to think he'd even follow me here' Pier closed his eyes to calm himself down.

He used his wind magic to support his body as he jumped down from the tree.

Asher's eyes widened at the action and he immediately went to catch Pier, but the latter landed without even breaking a sweat.

"Y-You really can use magic," he said. He recalled he was not able to talk with Pier about his magic.

"What is his highness doing here?" Pier asked when he approached Asher.

The Crown Prince scratched the back of his head as he looked for excuses.

"Uh... I just want to make sure you're alright, Pier" He said and Pier resisted the urge to slap Asher's face.

"Really?"

"Yes! Please don't end your lif-"

"And why do you think would I end my own life, your highness?" Pier asked as he started to take closer steps towards Asher. The crunchy sounds of dry leaves getting broken as Pier stepped on them resonated in both of their ears.

"Because... uh..." Asher spoke but Pier's approaching figure was distracting him. He gulped when Pier was now in front of him, only a few inches apart.

"Tell me, your highness" Pier spoke as he inched his face closer to Asher.

Asher gulped.

'Isn't this all too familiar?' He thought. It was the same scenario that happened back at his study. Pier was once again getting closer to him and he could not help himself but stare at the man in front of him.

"Come on, Asher, tell me why I would kill myself" Pier whispered when his face was only a breath away from Asher.

He did not address him by his title, nor his status, but by his direct name.

Asher felt himself shiver at the sound of Pier's voice calling his name out.

"Pier..." he breathed. He was starting to get intoxicated with the smell of Pier's scent.

"Hmmm? Why can't you speak, Asher?" Pier whispered as he brought his hand up in Asher's face and caressed the Crown Prince's cheeks.

Asher had goosebumps as he felt the cold fingers of the young master graze upon his skin.

Pier's long and slender fingers caressed Asher's jawline as he slowly turned the Crown Prince's head slightly lower to look directly at him.

"Pier... stop..." Asher said as he watched the young master's icy blue eyes stare at him.

"Just answer my question, Asher," Pier spoke as he held Asher's face with both of his hands and started to remove the distance between their faces.

"Why can't my Asher respond? I'm waiting for your answer," Pier said in a whiny yet low voice. Their breaths now were meeting each other and only a single move would cause their lips to meet.

'My Asher?...' The Crown Prince trembled as his hands started to act on their own. His hands itched to touch Pier's sides and hold the young master.

"Hmmm?" Pier hummed as he tilted Asher's face to the side and brought his nose closer to the exposed jawline of the prince.

Asher instinctively wrapped his arms around the young master. He could not help it, Pier's beautiful yet cold gaze was enticing him to do so.

However, the young master immediately removed Asher's arms around him.

"You can't touch me, Asher. Answer me instead, that will be better," He whispered as he grazed his nose on the Crown Prince's jawline.

Asher shivered at the feeling of having Pier tease him.

"Pier, I'm begging you..." Asher said in a croaked voice. He did not know what to feel.

Confusion

Surprise

Pleasure

The three were combining in an unexplainable manner.

"I-I thought you... you were going to end y-your life." Asher gulped nervously as Pier continued to do his business with the Crown Prince's neck.

"Because?" Pier asked as he trailed his nose back to Asher's cheeks.

"B-Because... y-you... of all that h-happened i-in the past..." Asher said as his hands found their way once more back in Pier's body.

But the young master had stopped his silly actions.

"Because of all that happened in the past?" Pier asked in a voice that was full of disbelief.

"HAHAHA!" He started to laugh in front of Asher's face. Asher awkwardly removed his hands around Pier's back and bowed his head in shame.

What did he do?

What did the Crown Prince just do to the young master of their sworn household?

His hands clenched and trembled when he was thinking about it.

When Pier was done laughing his heart out, he looked directly into Asher's own black eyes that had very small hints of red in them.

"Asher, if you're worried about me ending my own life because of what happened before, you're wrong," Pier mumbled as he started to take steps away from the Crown Prince.

Asher immediately felt the unexplainable feeling dissipate into nothingness when Pier also moved away.

"I'd rather kill myself if I get a scar on my face than end my life just for the likes of you," Pier said in a mocking manner and Asher's eyes widened at the statement.

"W-What..."

"Your Highness," Pier addressed Asher by his title again as if he did not just shamelessly tease the Crown Prince.

"You're very suffocating. I thought we've talked about this before already? How many times do I have to explain?" Pier asked, with a tone of disappointment in his voice.

"I wish to get away from you, your highness. Leave me alone, do not bother me," Pier said with a small smile on his face.

"I'm disgusting, right?" He grinned as he chuckled at the prince who had a disbelieving look in his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry. I never meant to call you that..." Asher said with his head bowed down. He was embarrassed that Pier was saying the things he said during the public shaming incident.

"Of course, you did not mean it, your highness," Pier said as he turned to the other way where the entrance was located. He wishes to go back now that Asher ruined his time at the border.

"You're a royalty who can just say 'they don't mean' what they said and expect people to forgive them," Pier said as he fixed his coat.

"Was that uncomfortable? Now you know how I feel whenever you're near me, your highness. Make it tenfold," He said before he started to take steps away from the Crown Prince. The young master leaving a trail of his scent on Asher's nose.

"Pier... why... why are you acting like this?" Asher asked for the nth time to the young master who had just left but he never got any response. Pier had already exited the borders, back into the boundary.

Asher buried his face into his hands as he breathed hard.

---

"What's wrong with you?" Pier asked as he ate his food.

Gideon stiffened after hearing the question of the young master.

"I..."

"Yes, you?" Pier asked as he ate another piece of the delicious food given to him by the residents of the boundary.

"I'm sorry..." Gideon said as he bowed his head in shame.

"Why are you saying sorry again?" Pier asked as he looked at the knight with a bored gaze.

"Because I wasn't able to protect the young master back at the mayor's office!" Gideon said and his face was scrunched up in an unpleased manner.

He looked like a child who was about to cry with the way he was pouting.

"Stop, that's irritating," Pier said and Gideon's eyebrows furrowed even more at the mention of his irritating face.

"Let's make a deal" Pier proposed and Gideon's ears perked up at the mentioning of a deal.

"A deal?"

"Yes, a deal"

"A deal-deal?"

"Yes, a deal you idiot." Pier sighed as he placed the fork down.

Gideon gulped when he saw Pier's annoyed face.

"Hehe sorry," he said as he gave the young master a sly grin and Pier rolled his eyes at Gideon's character.

"You're not strong enough yet to protect me" Pier started to talk and the first sentence made Gideon pout again.

"Stop pouting you look stupid," Pier said as he played with the berries on his plate.

"You know that our household trains people to become the best knights and mages of the kingdom," Pier said and Gideon nodded his head. Even the knights' captain had come from the Belmiunde Household's care.

"I'll recommend you to train there and in exchange, when you're strong enough, you can fulfill your promise of protecting me" Pier offered and Gideon had a blank face.

"Y-Young Master... are you sure about that?" He asked.

Only people with talent can enter the training grounds of the Belmiunde Household and only those who survive are hailed as victors. The household imposes very strict training and was known to mold those who train under them roughly but into the best.

"Yes," Pier said as he picked up a blueberry with his hand and ate it.

"B-But who will protect the young master when I'm training?" Gideon asked and Pier shrugged his shoulders at the knight's question.

"I can protect myself for now," He replied and Gideon nodded his head.

"Then I'll train to become a knight worthy for the young master!" Gideon exclaimed and Pier had to cover his ears because of Gideon's loud voice.

'All it takes is a little bit of talking and he's all up and good' Pier snorted at the thought of Gideon who was like a puppy most of the time.